Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Add Speed, Skill With Football Signings
2/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 4, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - John L. Smith gave his second Michigan State football recruiting class just a B- grade on Wednesday.
But most analysts put the Spartans' 30-player incoming class among the top five groups in the Big Ten and the top 20 nationally.
Two late additions to that list could lift Michigan State's rank even higher. Wide receiver Carl Grimes recommitted after saying he would sign with Florida State, and consensus All-American Roland Martin chose the Spartans over Oklahoma and Tennessee.
"I'm kind of a hard grader," Smith said. "If I had to grade this class, I think we're moving up. We're a little bit above average and could have been a B or B+. I think the only thing lacking is another D-lineman and another O-lineman. We could've used a couple more big guys. But we made up for it with speed and a little more skill."
Smith's staff signed as many as seven wide receivers and seven who could be defensive backs, as indicated by their recruiting roster.
Beside Martin, the marquee names include quarterback Brian Hoyer, wide receiver Miles Williams, tight end Kellen Freeman-Davis and linebacker Hugh D'Imperio.
"From that standpoint I think it was a real good year," Smith said of 26 signees from high schools and four from junior colleges. "They just have to come in and pan out now."
Though Michigan State jumped from 4-8 under Bobby Williams and Morris Watts to 8-5 in Smith's first season, the Spartans needed depth at almost every position and appear to have added quality and quantity.
"I think it's different for every kid," Smith said of the reasons for Michigan State's success. "I don't know that you sit down with every kid and say, 'Why did you come here?' I think it's just the fit.
"What we try to tell them is to go to the place where you feel the most comfortable. If you don't feel comfortable around our players and the things we're asking them to do, don't come here."
The Spartans landed 18 players from the Midwest - nine from Ohio, seven from Michigan and two from Illinois. They also signed four players from Florida, three from New Jersey and one each from California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ontario and American Samoa.
After Smith gave most of the credit to tenacious assistants, assistant Jim McElwain said everything started at the top.
"The best recruiter on our staff is coach Smith," McElwain said. "That makes a tremendous difference. If we can get the kids to sit down with him, they see what he's all about. Sometimes that's all it takes."
It took 11th-hour decisions by Grimes and Martin to close out a surprising haul, though Smith refused to bask in the rankings or put much stock in what has been done in the past.
"Who's doing the ranking?" Smith asked. "Media knuckleheads. I don't know if experts are doing the rankings. And I don't know a coach on Signing Day who didn't have a good year. But we hit a couple out at the end. So I think this is going to be a good class. ... And we have to have a better one next year."
